‘Blank’ ballot for Terrebonne byelection
Posted March 24, 2026 5:53 pm.
Terrebonne voters who will go to the polls in the April federal byelection will have to write their candidate’s name on a blank ballot.
Elections Canada announced Tuesday the adoption of a “blank” ballot for the election, scheduled for April 13. The decision is based on “previous experiences where a high number of candidates have run in a riding,” the agency said in an email.
“The adapted ballot will consist of a blank ballot where electors will have to write the first name (or initials) and last name of the chosen candidate, as on a special ballot,” explains Elections Canada.
It specifies that a list of candidates will be provided to voters at the polls, both for advance polls and for polling day.
Elections Canada assures that this “adapted ballot will include the same security and integrity measures as those of the usual ballots.”
At the time of the count, the same rules as those for special ballots will also be followed. It is specified that adapted blank ballots can lengthen the counting time.
“As long as the name on the ballot clearly indicates the voter’s intention, his or her vote will be counted. If an elector writes only the name of the political party, the ballot will not be counted,” says Elections Canada.
Last week, the group that recruited hundreds of people to run against Pierre Poilievre in last spring’s election and last summer’s byelection announced its intention to repeat the experiment in Terrebonne.
The Longest Ballot Committee said it was recruiting candidates for the byelection.
–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews
